GENEVA — It’s not stunning that Roman jeweler Bulgari is setting a brand new file in excessive watchmaking because it marks its first participation as an official exhibitor of the Watches and Wonders honest right here.
After garnering 9 information with its Octo Finissimo ultra-thin watches — the primary iteration of which was launched in 2014, constructing on the Octo vary launched two years earlier — the Italian model is unveiling the Octo Finissimo Extremely Tourbillon, a 1.85-millimeter-thick timepiece that integrates a skeletonized tourbillon which is taken into account the thinnest tourbillon ever made thus far.
The Octo Finissimo Tourbillon launched in 2014 boasted a 1.95-mm thickness — already a record-breaking achievement for Bulgari, which marks its twenty fifth anniversary of excessive watchmaking this yr.
“Every file has been a stepping stone. Setting a file isn’t nearly crossing limitations, it’s about redefining what’s attainable in mechanical watchmaking. With every problem, we’ve needed to rethink not solely conventional methods but in addition how watches are designed and developed,” mentioned Jean-Christophe Babin, chief govt officer of Bulgari. Final week he was additionally appointed CEO of LVMH Watches, which includes the Hublot, Zenith and Tag Heuer manufacturers.
The Octo Finissimo Extremely Tourbillon encased in a 40-mm case crafted from sandblasted titanium and tungsten carbide important plate is powered by an in-house tourbillon caliber. Its extraordinarily skeletonized development permits the ornamental spin of a lot of its key parts to be highlighted, together with the bezel flange’s polished slope, rhodium-plated tourbillon blocks and sunburst-finished bridge.
“The concept was to create a watch that encapsulates all our experience. It’s not nearly having the best design however attaining a exact execution that tells the story of the Octo Finissimo sequence, whereas respecting the integrity of its distinctive aesthetic codes,” mentioned Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, product creation govt director at Bulgari. “Each element, from the indexes to the tourbillon skeleton, bears witness to our dedication to excellence,” he added.
In comparison with its two, additionally record-breaking predecessors — the Octo Finissimo Extremely and Octo Finissimo Extremely COSC, which featured decorrelated hour and minute dials — the household’s new tourbillon iteration includes a single dial with rhodium-plated hour and minute palms set in opposition to a sand-blasted brass floor coated in grey PVD.
Bulgari mentioned the brand new timepiece — retailing at 750,000 euros and restricted to twenty items — resulted in its acquiring 5 patents throughout completely different improvements and methods embedded in its improvement. Total Bulgari boasts eight watchmaking-related patents.
The most recent launch marks a milestone within the ongoing battle between high-watchmaking manufacturers, which have made thinness considered one of their best strengths, together with Richard Mille and Piaget, amongst others.
The Bulgari record-breaking Octo Finissimo Extremely Tourbillon watch.
Courtesy of Bulgari
The landmark watch is making its official debut on the fairgrounds beginning Tuesday. Bulgari is taking part within the honest for the primary time after displaying independently on the town throughout the commerce present interval for the previous a number of years. The Roman jeweler, which used to participate in Baselworld earlier than pulling out in 2018, can be among the many founding members of Geneva Watch Days, an occasion historically staged in late August and launched in 2020.
Along with the record-breaking timepiece, 2025 marks the evolution of the signature Serpenti watch franchise with the brand new Aeterna design, a timekeeping jewel crafted from gold and set with diamonds, marking the yr of the snake within the Chinese language calendar.
Developed over two years, the Serpenti Aeterna watch snaking across the wrist includes a clasp closure mechanism and signature hexagonal scales etched within the internal contour. Obtainable in rose gold set with diamonds, in addition to in a excessive jewellery white gold iteration with a full diamond pavè extending to its body and oversize gems scattered all through, head to tail, each timepieces characteristic a snow-set diamond dial.
The Bulgari Serpenti Aeterna watch in rose gold.
Courtesy of Bulgari
“I prefer to design in a pure, modern model, with few ornamental parts — to attract traces that talk the language of eternity. Octo Finissimo is an ideal expression of this quest for absolutely the by way of kind, which now transforms Serpenti,” mentioned Buonamassa Stigliani. “Only some strokes have been wanted to sketch Aeterna. The serpent is distilled to its essence, its personal dynamic, refined to its strongest kind with visionary modernity.”
